US20110094726A1 - Refrigerator and control method of the same - Google Patents
Refrigerator and control method of the same Download PDFInfo
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- US20110094726A1 US20110094726A1 US12/805,916 US80591610A US2011094726A1 US 20110094726 A1 US20110094726 A1 US 20110094726A1 US 80591610 A US80591610 A US 80591610A US 2011094726 A1 US2011094726 A1 US 2011094726A1
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- Prior art keywords
- storage chambers
- refrigerant
- outlet ports
- valve
- supplied
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D29/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D11/00—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators
- F25D11/02—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures
- F25D11/022—Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators with cooling compartments at different temperatures with two or more evaporators
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B49/00—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
- F25B49/02—Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices for compression type machines, plants or systems
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- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
- F25B2600/00—Control issues
- F25B2600/25—Control of valves
- F25B2600/2507—Flow-diverting valves
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
- F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- F25D2700/00—Means for sensing or measuring; Sensors therefor
- F25D2700/10—Sensors measuring the temperature of the evaporator
Definitions
- Embodiments relate to a refrigerator having a valve to control the supply of a refrigerant to a plurality of storage chambers and a control method of the same.
- a refrigerator is operated such that a refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant by a compressor, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant is condensed into a room-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant by a condenser, and the room-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is supplied to an evaporator, disposed around a storage chamber, where the refrigerant is evaporated to cool the storage chamber, thereby storing foods at predetermined temperature.
- a refrigerant valve mounted on refrigerant channels disposed between a condenser and evaporators of the storage chambers is operated to control the amount of the refrigerant distributed to the respective evaporators, thereby satisfying temperature conditions of the storage chambers.
- the operation of the refrigerant valve is controlled to distribute the refrigerant to the evaporators of the storage chambers while changing the refrigerant channels every predetermined time.
- an opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is fixed with respect to the respective storage chambers.
- the opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is fixed for each of the storage chambers such that the first storage chamber has an opening time rate of 40%, the second storage chamber has an opening time rate of 30%, and the third storage chamber has an opening time rate of 30%.
- opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the first storage chamber is 40 seconds, therefore, opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the second storage chamber is set to 30 seconds, and opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the third storage chamber is set to 30 seconds.
- temperature of a storage chamber may be set according to user's liking. That is, the storage chamber may be used as a freezing chamber while the storage chamber is used as a Kimchi chamber.
- the refrigerant valve is opened at the fixed opening time rate even when the Kimchi chamber is changed to the freezing chamber.
- a refrigerator includes a plurality of storage chambers, a valve having a plurality of outlet ports to supply a refrigerant to the storage chambers, and a controller to control the valve such that only one of the outlet ports is opened when the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers, wherein the controller controls opening time of the valve based on modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- the controller may control a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers according to the modes of the storage chambers. Specifically, the controller may control the amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the storage chambers based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers.
- the controller may control at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed to supply the refrigerant to at least two of the storage chambers such that the refrigerant is alternately supplied to the storage chambers.
- the controller may control the at least two of the outlet ports to be opened based on the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied when controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed.
- the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers may be preset such that an opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the storage chambers is low when predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers are low.
- a control method of a refrigerator including a plurality of storage chambers and a valve having a plurality of outlet ports to supply a refrigerant to the storage chambers includes controlling the valve such that only one of the outlet ports is opened when the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers, wherein controlling the valve comprises determining modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied and controlling opening time of the valve based on the determined mode of the storage chambers.
- the control method may further include controlling a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers according to the modes of the storage chambers, wherein controlling the rate of the refrigerant may include controlling an amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the storage chambers based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers.
- the control method may further include controlling at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed to supply the refrigerant to at least two of the storage chambers such that the refrigerant is alternately supplied to the storage chambers.
- Controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed may include controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be opened based on the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers may be preset such that an opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the storage chambers is low when predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers are low.
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the refrigerator of FIG. 1 ;
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to another embodiment
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the refrigerator of FIG. 3 ;
- FIG. 5 is a schematic control block diagram of the refrigerator according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a refrigerant valve constituted by two three-way valves instead of one four-way valve in the refrigerator of FIG. 5 ;
- FIG. 7 is a view illustrating opening time and opening time rate of the refrigerant valve according to modes of storage chambers in the refrigerator according to the embodiment
- FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when all the storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers in FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the first storage chamber is operated as a freezing chamber, and the second and third storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers in FIG. 7 ;
- FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the third storage chamber is not used in FIG. 9 .
- FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a direct cooling type refrigerator according to an embodiment
- FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1 .
- the refrigerator includes left and right storage chambers 12 and 13 defined in a main body 10 , doors 11 hingedly coupled to the top of the main body 10 to open and close the left and right storage chambers 12 and 13 , and an input unit 25 provided at the upper front of the main body 10 .
- an electric equipment chamber 20 in which cooling devices are located.
- the electric equipment chamber 20 is separated from the left and right storage chambers 12 and 13 by a partition wall. Spaces defined between the left and right storage chambers 12 and 13 and the outside are filled with a heat insulation material to uniformly maintain temperatures of the left and right storage chambers 12 and 13 .
- a first evaporator 14 to perform heat exchange and a first temperature sensor 17 to detect surface temperature of the first evaporator 14 to sense temperature of the upper part of the left storage chamber 12 .
- a second evaporator 15 to perform heat exchange and a second temperature sensor 18 to detect surface temperature of the second evaporator 15 to sense temperature of the lower part of the left storage chamber 12 .
- first and second storage chambers 12 a and 12 b In the left storage chamber 12 is mounted a partition 24 to divide the upper and lower parts of the left storage chamber 12 .
- the partition 24 prevents exchange of cool air between the upper and lower parts of the left storage chamber 12 such that temperatures are independently controlled in the upper and lower parts of the left storage chamber 12 .
- the upper and lower parts of the left storage chamber 122 divided by the partition 14 will hereinafter be referred to as first and second storage chambers 12 a and 12 b.
- the right storage chamber 13 Around the outer perimeter of the right storage chamber 13 are mounted a third evaporator 16 to perform heat exchange and a third temperature sensor 19 to detect surface temperature of the third evaporator 16 to sense temperature of the right storage chamber 13 .
- the right storage chamber 13 will hereinafter be referred to as a third storage chamber 13 .
- two evaporators are mounted at the left storage chamber, and one evaporator is mounted at the right storage chamber for the convenience of description.
- one evaporator may be mounted at the left storage chamber, and two evaporators may be mounted at the right storage chamber.
- two or more evaporators may be mounted at both the storage chambers.
- a compressor 21 to compress a refrigerant
- a condenser 22 to condense the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 21
- a blowing fan 23 mounted at one side of the condenser 22 to forcibly blow air to the condenser 22 .
- FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator including one indirect type storage chamber disposed in the upper part of the refrigerator and two direct type storage chambers disposed in the lower part of the refrigerator
- FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator shown in FIG. 3 .
- an indirect type storage chamber 44 is defined in the upper part of the direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator.
- a door 31 is coupled to a main body 30 via a hinge 35 to open and close the front opening of the indirect type storage chamber 44 .
- an input unit 34 is provided at the front of the door 31 to allow a user to input operating conditions of storage chambers 44 , 45 and 46 .
- an evaporator 36 including a pipe and a cooling fin and a blowing fan 37 to supply cool air from the evaporator 36 to the indirect type storage chamber 44 .
- Internal air is heat-exchanged with the low-temperature evaporator 36 into cool air, which is forcibly supplied to the indirect type storage chamber 44 .
- the evaporator 36 which is a cool air supply source, is located at one side of the storage chamber, unlike the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 , with the result that temperature deviation in the storage chamber is high, and moisture evaporation of food in the storage chamber is high due to forcible movement of air by the blowing fan 37 . Since the evaporator 36 does not directly contact the inside of the storage chamber, however, frost generation is low, and wide-range temperature control is achieved according to control of the blowing fan 37 .
- the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 disposed below the indirect type storage chamber 44 , include drawer type containers 40 and 41 and doors 32 and 33 coupled to the containers 40 and 41 to open and close the front openings of the containers 40 and 41 .
- the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 At the outer perimeters of the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 are disposed pipe type evaporators 38 and 39 , which are buried in a heat insulation material between the main body 30 and the outer perimeters of the storage chambers, such that the evaporators 38 and 39 surround the outer perimeters of the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 . Cool air transmitted from the low-temperature evaporator 38 to the outsides and insides of the storage chambers through heat conduction is supplied to the direct type storage chambers 45 and 46 through natural convection of air in the storage chambers.
- the evaporators 38 and 39 which are cool air supply sources, directly contact the outsides of the storage chambers, with the result that frost is formed at the insides of the storage chambers. Since the evaporators 38 and 39 surround the outer perimeters of the storage chambers, however, the cool air supply sources are uniformly distributed as compared with the indirect type storage chamber 44 , with the result that temperature deviation in the storage chambers is low. Also, the blowing fan 37 is not provided, with the result that evaporation of moisture from food in the storage chamber is low.
- FIG. 5 is a schematic control block diagram of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention.
- the first to third temperature sensors 17 , 18 and 19 are electrically connected to the input side of a controller 110 to perform overall control of the refrigerator.
- the first to third temperature sensors 17 , 18 and 19 detect temperatures of the first to third evaporator 14 , 15 and 16 to sense temperatures of the first to third storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 , respectively.
- the first to third temperature sensors 17 , 18 and 19 generate and provide electric signals corresponding to the detected temperatures to the controller 110 .
- the input unit 25 to set and input temperatures of the first to third storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 to the controller 110 and a power supply unit 120 to supply power are electrically connected to the input side of the controller 110 .
- the controller 110 controls the compressor 21 and the four-way valve 141 such that temperatures of the first to third storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 follow target temperatures based on temperature information detected by the first to third temperature sensors 17 , 18 and 19 .
- the four-way valve 141 may be a stepper motor valve driven by a stepper motor.
- the four-way valve 141 includes one inlet port 141 a and three outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d .
- the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d are alternately opened at predetermined rotation angles at which the respective outlet ports are opened such that a refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 .
- the outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d When one of the outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d is opened, the remaining two outlet ports are closed.
- the three-way valve 151 includes one inlet port 151 a and two outlet ports 151 b and 151 c .
- the three-way valve 152 includes one inlet port 152 a and two outlet ports 152 b and 152 c .
- the first and second outlet ports 151 b , 151 c , 152 b and 152 c are alternately opened at predetermined rotation angles at which the respective outlet ports are opened such that a refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 .
- a refrigerant compressed by the compressor 21 is introduced through the inlet ports 151 a and 152 b and is then supplied to the first to third storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 through the outlet ports 151 b , 151 c , 152 b and 152 c .
- three of the outlet ports 151 b , 151 c , 152 b and 152 c are alternately opened to control a flow rate of the refrigerant to be supplied to the storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 .
- the controller controls only one of the outlet ports of each refrigerant valve to be alternately opened such that the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers.
- the controller controls opening time of the refrigerant valve according to modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied. That is, the controller controls a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied according to modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- the controller controls the amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the respective storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- FIG. 7 is a view illustrating opening time and opening time rate of the refrigerant valve according to modes of the storage chambers in the refrigerator according to the embodiment.
- FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when all the storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers in FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the first storage chamber is operated as a freezing chamber, and the second and third storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers in FIG. 7 .
- FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the third storage chamber is not used in FIG. 9 .
- opening time and opening time rate of the four-way valve 141 are preset based on modes of the first to third storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 .
- the four-way valve 141 alternately opens the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d to supply the refrigerant to the storage chambers 12 a , 12 b and 13 .
- the outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d of the four-way valve 141 is opened, the remaining two outlet ports are closed.
- an opening time rate of the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d of the four-way valve 141 is preset to 4:3:3.
- a period T at which the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d are controlled is 100 seconds
- the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d are alternately opened for 40 seconds, 30 seconds and 30 seconds, respectively (see FIG. 8 ).
- an opening time rate of the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d of the four-way valve 141 is preset to 2:4:4.
- a period T at which the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d are controlled is 150 seconds
- the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d are alternately opened for 30 seconds, 60 seconds and 60 seconds, respectively (see FIG. 9 ).
- the opening time rate of the first to third outlet ports 141 b , 141 c and 141 d of the four-way valve 141 is changed from 4:3:3 to 2:4:4. That is, an opening time rate of the outlet port corresponding to the freezing chamber is decreased, and the opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the Kimchi chambers is increased correspondingly. Relatively low pressure is generated in the freezing chamber, with the result that a relatively large amount of the refrigerant is introduced into the freezing chamber due to concentration of the refrigerant although the outlet port is opened for a short time.
- an opening time rate of the first and second outlet ports 141 b and 141 c of the four-way valve 141 is preset to 1:3.
- the opening time rates of the refrigerant valve based on the modes of the storage chambers are stored in a memory.
- a period T at which the first and second outlet ports 141 b and 141 c are controlled is 120 seconds, the first and second outlet ports 141 b and 141 c are alternately opened for 30 seconds and 90 seconds, respectively (see FIG. 10 ).
- the opening time rate of the four-way valve is changed from 4:3:3 to 2:4:4. Consequently, concentration of the refrigerant to the freezing chamber is avoided, thereby preventing refrigerant shortage in the other storage chambers. Also, left and right temperature deviation of each storage chamber is reduced, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution of each storage chamber.
- the opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is changed based on the modes of the storage chambers to avoid concentration of the refrigerant, thereby preventing refrigerant shortage. Also, left and right temperature deviation of each storage chamber is reduced, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution of each storage chamber.
Abstract
Description
- This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2009-0101908, filed on Oct. 26, 2009 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
- 1. Field
- Embodiments relate to a refrigerator having a valve to control the supply of a refrigerant to a plurality of storage chambers and a control method of the same.
- 2. Description of the Related Art
- Generally, a refrigerator is operated such that a refrigerant is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant by a compressor, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas refrigerant is condensed into a room-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant by a condenser, and the room-temperature and high-pressure liquid refrigerant is supplied to an evaporator, disposed around a storage chamber, where the refrigerant is evaporated to cool the storage chamber, thereby storing foods at predetermined temperature.
- In a structure in which a plurality of storage chambers are provided in a refrigerator, a refrigerant valve mounted on refrigerant channels disposed between a condenser and evaporators of the storage chambers is operated to control the amount of the refrigerant distributed to the respective evaporators, thereby satisfying temperature conditions of the storage chambers.
- During simultaneous operation of the storage chambers, the operation of the refrigerant valve is controlled to distribute the refrigerant to the evaporators of the storage chambers while changing the refrigerant channels every predetermined time.
- In a conventional refrigerator, however, an opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is fixed with respect to the respective storage chambers. For example, on the assumption that three storage chambers are used as Kimchi chambers, the opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is fixed for each of the storage chambers such that the first storage chamber has an opening time rate of 40%, the second storage chamber has an opening time rate of 30%, and the third storage chamber has an opening time rate of 30%. On the assumption that opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the first storage chamber is 40 seconds, therefore, opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the second storage chamber is set to 30 seconds, and opening time of the refrigerant valve to supply the refrigerant to the evaporator of the third storage chamber is set to 30 seconds.
- In recent years, temperature of a storage chamber may be set according to user's liking. That is, the storage chamber may be used as a freezing chamber while the storage chamber is used as a Kimchi chamber.
- In the conventional refrigerator, however, the refrigerant valve is opened at the fixed opening time rate even when the Kimchi chamber is changed to the freezing chamber.
- Consequently, lower pressure is generated in the freezing chamber than in the Kimchi chamber, with the result that load in the freezing chamber is relatively low, and therefore, the refrigerant is concentrically supplied to the evaporator of the freezing chamber. That is, refrigerant concentration occurs. Generally, temperature of the Kimchi chamber is controlled to −1° C.; however, temperature of the freezing chamber is controlled to −18° C.
- When the Kimchi chamber is cooled by a direct cooling system to directly cool the storage chamber using a pipe-type evaporator disposed to surround the outer perimeter of the storage chamber, left and right temperature deviation of the storage chamber is further increased due to refrigerant shortage.
- It is an aspect to provide a refrigerator wherein an opening time rate of a valve to supply a refrigerant to evaporators is changed based on modes of storage chambers to prevent refrigerant shortage due to concentration of the refrigerant, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution of each storage chamber and a control method of the same.
- Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
- In accordance with one aspect, a refrigerator includes a plurality of storage chambers, a valve having a plurality of outlet ports to supply a refrigerant to the storage chambers, and a controller to control the valve such that only one of the outlet ports is opened when the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers, wherein the controller controls opening time of the valve based on modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- The controller may control a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers according to the modes of the storage chambers. Specifically, the controller may control the amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the storage chambers based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers.
- The controller may control at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed to supply the refrigerant to at least two of the storage chambers such that the refrigerant is alternately supplied to the storage chambers.
- The controller may control the at least two of the outlet ports to be opened based on the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied when controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed.
- The time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers may be preset such that an opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the storage chambers is low when predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers are low.
- In accordance with another aspect, a control method of a refrigerator including a plurality of storage chambers and a valve having a plurality of outlet ports to supply a refrigerant to the storage chambers includes controlling the valve such that only one of the outlet ports is opened when the refrigerant is supplied to the storage chambers, wherein controlling the valve comprises determining modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied and controlling opening time of the valve based on the determined mode of the storage chambers.
- The control method may further include controlling a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers according to the modes of the storage chambers, wherein controlling the rate of the refrigerant may include controlling an amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the storage chambers based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers.
- The control method may further include controlling at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed to supply the refrigerant to at least two of the storage chambers such that the refrigerant is alternately supplied to the storage chambers.
- Controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be alternately opened and closed may include controlling the at least two of the outlet ports to be opened based on the time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
- The time rate corresponding to the predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers may be preset such that an opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the storage chambers is low when predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers are low.
- These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to an embodiment; -
FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the refrigerator ofFIG. 1 ; -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a refrigerator according to another embodiment; -
FIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the refrigerator ofFIG. 3 ; -
FIG. 5 is a schematic control block diagram of the refrigerator according to the embodiment; -
FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a refrigerant valve constituted by two three-way valves instead of one four-way valve in the refrigerator ofFIG. 5 ; -
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating opening time and opening time rate of the refrigerant valve according to modes of storage chambers in the refrigerator according to the embodiment; -
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when all the storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers inFIG. 7 ; -
FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the first storage chamber is operated as a freezing chamber, and the second and third storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers inFIG. 7 ; and -
FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the third storage chamber is not used inFIG. 9 . - Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
-
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a direct cooling type refrigerator according to an embodiment, andFIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II ofFIG. 1 . - As shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2 , the refrigerator includes left andright storage chambers main body 10,doors 11 hingedly coupled to the top of themain body 10 to open and close the left andright storage chambers input unit 25 provided at the upper front of themain body 10. - Below the left and
right storage chambers electric equipment chamber 20 in which cooling devices are located. Theelectric equipment chamber 20 is separated from the left andright storage chambers right storage chambers right storage chambers - Around the upper outer perimeter of the
left storage chamber 12 are mounted afirst evaporator 14 to perform heat exchange and afirst temperature sensor 17 to detect surface temperature of thefirst evaporator 14 to sense temperature of the upper part of theleft storage chamber 12. Around the lower outer perimeter of theleft storage chamber 12 are mounted asecond evaporator 15 to perform heat exchange and asecond temperature sensor 18 to detect surface temperature of thesecond evaporator 15 to sense temperature of the lower part of theleft storage chamber 12. - In the
left storage chamber 12 is mounted apartition 24 to divide the upper and lower parts of theleft storage chamber 12. Thepartition 24 prevents exchange of cool air between the upper and lower parts of theleft storage chamber 12 such that temperatures are independently controlled in the upper and lower parts of theleft storage chamber 12. The upper and lower parts of the left storage chamber 122 divided by thepartition 14 will hereinafter be referred to as first andsecond storage chambers - Around the outer perimeter of the
right storage chamber 13 are mounted athird evaporator 16 to perform heat exchange and athird temperature sensor 19 to detect surface temperature of thethird evaporator 16 to sense temperature of theright storage chamber 13. Theright storage chamber 13 will hereinafter be referred to as athird storage chamber 13. - In this embodiment, two evaporators are mounted at the left storage chamber, and one evaporator is mounted at the right storage chamber for the convenience of description. Alternatively, one evaporator may be mounted at the left storage chamber, and two evaporators may be mounted at the right storage chamber. Besides, two or more evaporators may be mounted at both the storage chambers. In the electric equipment chamber are disposed a
compressor 21 to compress a refrigerant, acondenser 22 to condense the refrigerant compressed by thecompressor 21, and a blowingfan 23 mounted at one side of thecondenser 22 to forcibly blow air to thecondenser 22. -
FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator including one indirect type storage chamber disposed in the upper part of the refrigerator and two direct type storage chambers disposed in the lower part of the refrigerator, andFIG. 4 is a sectional view illustrating the internal structure of the direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator shown inFIG. 3 . - As shown in
FIGS. 3 and 4 , an indirecttype storage chamber 44 is defined in the upper part of the direct and indirect type combination kimchi refrigerator. Adoor 31 is coupled to amain body 30 via ahinge 35 to open and close the front opening of the indirecttype storage chamber 44. At the front of thedoor 31 is provided aninput unit 34 to allow a user to input operating conditions ofstorage chambers - At one side of the indirect
type storage chamber 44 are provided anevaporator 36 including a pipe and a cooling fin and a blowingfan 37 to supply cool air from theevaporator 36 to the indirecttype storage chamber 44. Internal air is heat-exchanged with the low-temperature evaporator 36 into cool air, which is forcibly supplied to the indirecttype storage chamber 44. - In the indirect
type storage chamber 44, theevaporator 36, which is a cool air supply source, is located at one side of the storage chamber, unlike the directtype storage chambers fan 37. Since theevaporator 36 does not directly contact the inside of the storage chamber, however, frost generation is low, and wide-range temperature control is achieved according to control of the blowingfan 37. - The direct
type storage chambers type storage chamber 44, includedrawer type containers doors containers containers - At the outer perimeters of the direct
type storage chambers pipe type evaporators main body 30 and the outer perimeters of the storage chambers, such that theevaporators type storage chambers temperature evaporator 38 to the outsides and insides of the storage chambers through heat conduction is supplied to the directtype storage chambers - In the direct
type storage chambers evaporators evaporators type storage chamber 44, with the result that temperature deviation in the storage chambers is low. Also, the blowingfan 37 is not provided, with the result that evaporation of moisture from food in the storage chamber is low. - At the tops of the
storages chambers evaporators -
FIG. 5 is a schematic control block diagram of the refrigerator according to the embodiment of the present invention. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , the first tothird temperature sensors controller 110 to perform overall control of the refrigerator. The first tothird temperature sensors third evaporator third storage chambers third temperature sensors controller 110. - Also, the
input unit 25 to set and input temperatures of the first tothird storage chambers controller 110 and apower supply unit 120 to supply power are electrically connected to the input side of thecontroller 110. - A
compressor drive unit 130 to drive thecompressor 21 and avalve drive unit 140 to drive a refrigerant valve, i.e., a four-way valve 141, are electrically connected to the output side of thecontroller 110. - The
controller 110 controls thecompressor 21 and the four-way valve 141 such that temperatures of the first tothird storage chambers third temperature sensors - The four-
way valve 141 may be a stepper motor valve driven by a stepper motor. The four-way valve 141 includes one inlet port 141 a and threeoutlet ports third outlet ports storage chambers outlet ports - As shown in
FIG. 6 , two three-way valves way valve 141. The three-way valve 151 includes oneinlet port 151 a and twooutlet ports way valve 152 includes oneinlet port 152 a and twooutlet ports second outlet ports storage chambers compressor 21 is introduced through theinlet ports third storage chambers outlet ports outlet ports storage chambers - When the refrigerant is supplied to at least two of the
storage chambers - The controller controls opening time of the refrigerant valve according to modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied. That is, the controller controls a rate of the refrigerant to be distributed into the respective storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied according to modes of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied. The controller controls the amount of the refrigerant to be supplied to the respective storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied based on a time rate corresponding to predetermined temperatures of the storage chambers to which the refrigerant is supplied.
-
FIG. 7 is a view illustrating opening time and opening time rate of the refrigerant valve according to modes of the storage chambers in the refrigerator according to the embodiment.FIG. 8 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when all the storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers inFIG. 7 .FIG. 9 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the first storage chamber is operated as a freezing chamber, and the second and third storage chambers are operated as kimchi chambers inFIG. 7 .FIG. 10 is a view illustrating the operation of the four-way valve when the third storage chamber is not used inFIG. 9 . - As shown in
FIG. 7 ; opening time and opening time rate of the four-way valve 141 are preset based on modes of the first tothird storage chambers - As previously described, the four-
way valve 141 alternately opens the first tothird outlet ports storage chambers outlet ports way valve 141 is opened, the remaining two outlet ports are closed. - For example, when the first to
third storage chambers third outlet ports way valve 141 is preset to 4:3:3. On the assumption that a period T at which the first tothird outlet ports third outlet ports FIG. 8 ). - Also, when the
first storage chamber 12 a is operated as a freezing chamber, and the second andthird storage chambers 12 b and 12 c are operated as Kimchi chambers, an opening time rate of the first tothird outlet ports way valve 141 is preset to 2:4:4. On the assumption that a period T at which the first tothird outlet ports third outlet ports FIG. 9 ). In this case, the opening time rate of the first tothird outlet ports way valve 141 is changed from 4:3:3 to 2:4:4. That is, an opening time rate of the outlet port corresponding to the freezing chamber is decreased, and the opening time rate of the outlet ports corresponding to the Kimchi chambers is increased correspondingly. Relatively low pressure is generated in the freezing chamber, with the result that a relatively large amount of the refrigerant is introduced into the freezing chamber due to concentration of the refrigerant although the outlet port is opened for a short time. - Also, when the
first storage chamber 12 a is operated as a freezing chamber, thesecond storage chamber 12 b is operated as a Kimchi chamber, and the third storage chamber 12 c is not used, an opening time rate of the first andsecond outlet ports way valve 141 is preset to 1:3. The opening time rates of the refrigerant valve based on the modes of the storage chambers are stored in a memory. On the assumption that a period T at which the first andsecond outlet ports second outlet ports FIG. 10 ). - For example, when a user changes the mode of the first storage chamber to a freezing chamber while all the three storage chambers are operated as Kimchi chambers, the opening time rate of the four-way valve is changed from 4:3:3 to 2:4:4. Consequently, concentration of the refrigerant to the freezing chamber is avoided, thereby preventing refrigerant shortage in the other storage chambers. Also, left and right temperature deviation of each storage chamber is reduced, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution of each storage chamber.
- Meanwhile, even the storage chambers having the same mode are affected by refrigeration concentration depending upon temperatures of the storage chambers. When the temperatures of the storage chambers are low, therefore, weight is applied to the storage chambers such that opening time rates of the outlet ports corresponding to the storage chambers are reduced.
- As is apparent from the above description, the opening time rate of the refrigerant valve is changed based on the modes of the storage chambers to avoid concentration of the refrigerant, thereby preventing refrigerant shortage. Also, left and right temperature deviation of each storage chamber is reduced, thereby achieving uniform temperature distribution of each storage chamber.
- Although a few embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Claims (17)
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KR1020090101908A KR101649892B1 (en) | 2009-10-26 | 2009-10-26 | Refrigerator and control method the same |
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US20140338390A1 (en) * | 2011-12-20 | 2014-11-20 | Dometic S.A.R.L. | Cooling element and cooling device |
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KR101991820B1 (en) * | 2013-04-15 | 2019-06-21 | 주식회사 대유위니아 | Cooling control method of a refrigerator |
US11649999B2 (en) | 2021-05-14 | 2023-05-16 | Electrolux Home Products, Inc. | Direct cooling ice maker with cooling system |
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KR100561599B1 (en) | 2004-06-16 | 2006-03-20 | 주식회사 대우일렉트로닉스 | Operating method of refrigerators |
KR20060114964A (en) | 2005-05-03 | 2006-11-08 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Refrigerator and method of controlling the same |
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US7913515B2 (en) * | 2001-08-16 | 2011-03-29 | Bsh Bosch Und Siemens Hausgeraete Gmbh | Combination refrigerating appliance and evaporators for same |
US6786056B2 (en) * | 2002-08-02 | 2004-09-07 | Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. | Cooling system with evaporators distributed in parallel |
US20060179858A1 (en) * | 2003-12-22 | 2006-08-17 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Refrigerator |
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US8635880B2 (en) | 2014-01-28 |
KR101649892B1 (en) | 2016-08-23 |
KR20110045360A (en) | 2011-05-04 |
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